René Benko must remain in custody for at least two more months. The Vienna Regional Court decided this when an application for release from the Signa founder was rejected. “There is still an urgent suspicion and risk of acting,” says various media reports.
In January 2025, the 47-year-old was arrested for suspected infidelity and fraud. The investigators of the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) assume that the ex-billionaire has led investors to grants by stating that their own family pencils would also participate in a signa capital increase. “In reality, however, Benko had smuggled the money of the investors through a” money carousel “and spent his own contribution,” the Spiegel writes. Benko should also have hidden assets from authorities, creditors and insolvency administrators. Investigations are currently underway in Germany, Italy and Liechtenstein.
